Although he shared the championship of his generation in the United States as a 2-year-old, Crimson Satan never garnered quite the respect given to co-champion Ridan or to Jaipur, who took over at 3. Nonetheless, Crimson Satan proved the most durable of the top colts of his year, racing in the top tier at both 3 and 4. He proved a useful stallion usually remembered as the sire of the wickedly fast Crimson Saint, dam of the high-class miler and sire Royal Academy and second dam of an even better stallion in Storm Cat.

Race record

59starts, 18wins, 9seconds, 9thirds, US$796,077

1961:

Won Garden State Stakes (USA, 8.5FD, Garden State)

Won Pimlico Futurity (USA, 8.5FD, Pimlico)

Won Hawthorne Juvenile Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Hawthorne)

Won Lafayette Stakes (USA, 4f+152ftD, Keeneland)

1962:

Won Laurance Armour Handicap (USA, 8.5FT, Arlington Park)

Won Clark Handicap (USA, 9FD, Churchill Downs)

2nd Arlington Handicap (USA, 9.5FT, Arlington Park)

3rd Belmont Stakes (USA, 12FD, Belmont)

3rd Jersey Derby (USA, 9FD, Garden State; disqualified from first)

3rd Choice Stakes (USA, 8.5FD, Monmouth)

3rd Buckeye Handicap (USA, 9FD, Thistledown)

3rd Bahamas Stakes (USA, 7FD, Hialeah)

Also finished first in the Leonard Richards Stakes (USA, Delaware) but disqualified after testing positive for the analgesic phenylbutazone (“Bute")

1963:

Won Charles H. Strub Stakes (USA, 10FD, Santa Anita)

Won Washington Park Handicap (USA, 9FD, Washington Park)

Won Massachusetts Handicap (USA, 10FD, Suffolk)

Won San Fernando Stakes (USA, 9FD, Santa Anita)

Won Michigan Mile and One-Sixteenth Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Detroit; new track record 1:40-3/5)

Rated at 123 lbs on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1963, 13 pounds below Horse of the Year and divisional champion Kelso.

Ranked seventh among American older males of 1963 by The Blood-Horse.

As an individual

A chestnut horse standing 16.2 hands, Crimson Satan was short-coupled, muscular and leggy with a good shoulder and a straight hind leg. According to Thoroughbred historian William Robertson, Crimson Satan had a temperament to match his name, but Charles Hatton of the Daily Racing Form called him “a pleasant horse around the barn” although Hatton acknowledged that the horse might have been getting more cunning and less reliable with regard to racing toward the end of his racing career. The early part of his 3-year-old season was hampered by kidney trouble, sinus inflammation and bursitis in a stifle, but when he was right, Crimson Satan was very competitive and determined, not needing the whip to produce his best. He was indifferent as to track condition but did not perform well when tried on grass. He was at his best when using his sharp turn of foot to come from off the pace.

As a stallion

The Jockey Club credits Crimson Satan with siring 304 winners (65.1%) and 33 stakes winners (7.1%) from 467 named foals. He was primarily an influence for precocity and speed.

Foaled in Kentucky, Crimson Satan was bred and owned by Peter Salman, Sr.'s Crimson King Farm. He was trained by Gordon Potter until June 1962, when the trainer was suspended due to the colt's drug positive in the Leonard Richards Stakes. Afterward, Crimson Satan was trained by Charles Kerr, with Kerr's assistant J. W. King taking over training duties while the colt raced in California. Martin Fallon became Crimson Satan's trainer in October 1963 but had little success with him, and Crimson Satan entered stud in 1965 in Kentucky at Crimson King Farm. He remained at Crimson King for the rest of his life, dying in 1982.

Pedigree notes

Crimson Satan is outcrossed through five generations but is the produce of two inbred parents, as his sire Spy Song is inbred 3x3 to Peter Pan and his dam Papila is inbred 4x3 to 1905 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) winner Val d'Or. He is a half brother to multiple stakes winner Cardinal Sin (by Papa Redbird) and to Blue Canary (by the Bimelech horse Buy and Sell), whose stakes-winning granddaughter Swinging Lizzie (by The Axe II) produced multiple Grade I winner Swing Till Dawn (by Grey Dawn II) and 1988 Swaps Stakes (USA-I) winner Lively One (by Halo). Another granddaughter of Blue Canary, Sleep Lonely (by Pia Star) produced Canadian Grade II winner Quantra (by Quadrangle) and is the third dam of 2000 American Horse of the Year Tiznow.

Sent to Chile to race, Crimson Satan's dam Papila ran second in Las Oaks prior to being imported to the United States, where she won three of 17 starts. Sired by Requiebro, a dead-heat winner of the 1933 Gran Premio Nacional (Argentine Derby), she was produced from Papalona, by Papanatas out of Tarumba.